


Frosty the Snowman (is a fucking idiot)

by JQ (musicmillennia)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Can't Take the Heat, Established Relationship, Hurt Len, Husbands, M/M, Meta!Len, Worried Mick, hibernation, no really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 11:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5826217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicmillennia/pseuds/JQ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Contrary to popular belief, Heat Wave does not enjoy humid heat waves. He doesn’t get why people keep assuming that; fire’s a glorious, blazing, dry heat, not a suffocating mess.</p><p>So when the humidity kicks in, he opts to stay in bed with Len, get an hour’s more sleep maybe. But when that hour’s up and Mick reaches for Len, Len…doesn’t open his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>[nordstr0m asked: what about Meta!Len falling into a kind of hibernation during hot days? So, Mick or Barry or whomever freaks out, because Len WON'T WAKE UP!!! NO MATTER WHAT! So they just sit with him and wait until he does wake up or something like that?]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frosty the Snowman (is a fucking idiot)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nordstrom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nordstrom/gifts).



> I mean, a G rating is basically a regular T for this pairing. I've said this before.

Contrary to popular belief, Heat Wave does not enjoy humid heat waves. He doesn’t get why people keep assuming that; fire’s a glorious, blazing,  _dry_ heat, not a suffocating mess.

So when the humidity kicks in, he opts to stay in bed with Len, get an hour’s more sleep maybe. But when that hour’s up and Mick reaches for Len, Len…doesn’t open his eyes.

For an absurd moment, Mick thinks he’s just fucking with him. That thought’s quickly dashed. By now he knows when Len’s faking it, and this ain’t it. Which begs the question: how’s he still asleep?

Lenny’s not a deep sleeper anymore. It took a long time before he could get more than a couple hours with Mick in his bed, because sleeping next to your sibling is very different from sleeping next to someone whose habits you don’t know. Every twitch and rustle Mick made woke Len straightaway. In the morning, that still applied.

What’s the deal, then?

Mick shakes him. No response. Tells him to “wake up, asshole.” Nothing. Smacks him upside the head. Nada.

Alright. Unlike Len, Mick’s not a worrier by nature, but he’s starting to panic a little. Ever since the particle accelerator blew, Lenny’s been different. Got powers and all. What if the change done to him’s not all good, though? What if this is a negative side effect, and Len’s suddenly in a coma or somethin’?

Mick presses his lips to Len’s ear. “Lenny,” he says, “wake up.”

Not even a twitch.

He charges to the door.

“ _Piper_!”

* * *

Hartley grimaces. “Without the proper equipment, I can’t tell what’s wrong with him, but I’m pretty sure it’s this heat.”

Mick grabs his gun. “What d’you need?”

“Much as it physically pains me to say it,” Hartley says through clenched teeth, “we need STAR Labs.”

Mick slaps Hartley on the back on his way to the dresser.

“ _Careful_!”

Mick bares his teeth. “Never am.”

* * *

There are many things in this world Cisco enjoys. Science, candy, Black Canary, super sonic punches. But none compare to The Bae.

With this ass-melting heat, crime’s on an all-time low today. Meaning Barry’s on call, but not at the precinct. Meaning he’s inside STAR Labs’ top notch AC and pulling Cisco on his lap. Cisco’s pretty sure they’re both sweating in places they have no right to sweat, but it’s drying under the cool air and really, who needs to worry about sweat when you can make out? Exactly.

Impeccable logic, Ramon. Well done. Give yourself another grind for that one.

Barry’s breath hitches on a moan, and  _yes, good_. Best heat wave ever.

_“Hey assholes!”_

Correction: worst Heat Wave ever.

In less than a second, Cisco’s sitting by himself in his chair, bereft and very much frustrated. Barry, in the other hand, is suddenly in their suit and glaring at the screen in confusion.

“Cisco.”

Oo, Cisco knows that voice. That’s the We Have a Problem voice. He’s up in a flash (ha).

Yep, it’s Heat Wave alright. Know what else it is? Heat Wave carrying an unconscious Captain Cold.

 _“Either you let me in,”_ he says,  _“or I burn the door down. Your choice.”_

“Well at least he’s being considerate,” gripes Cisco. Then, “Whoa, whoa, what’re you doing?”

That’s the Worried Face. “Letting them in,” Barry says, like it’s obvious.

“…I’m gonna ask. Why are you letting your nemeses in the lab? The nemeses who kidnapped your boyfriend, might I add.”

Barry looks at him with his Puppy Eyes. “Cold needs help,” he says, “I can’t just leave him out there.”

As Heat Wave walks through the front door, Cisco mutters, “Y’know, sometimes I hate you, Barry Allen.”

Barry kisses his cheek. “No you don’t.”

* * *

Dr. Snow’s called in as soon as Mick sets Len down on the nearest cot in Medical and tells the Flash and his sidekick in no uncertain terms that Len isn’t waking up.

When Snow enters the room, the only time she looks at Mick is when she wants to send him a hard glance. Mick can’t say he blames her—would in all likelihood provoke her if she wasn’t Len’s only chance.

She conducts scans, x-rays and an MRI, blood tests and a watered down physical. Takes hours, and Mick quickly becomes restless with waiting around. Yet every time he thinks he’s about to storm outta there and burn something, his eyes fall on Len’s limp form and he stops.

Mick made a vow to stay by his side. Now way he’s gonna break that and leave him alone at the mercy of the enemy.

Finally, Dr. Snow removes her latex gloves. 

“He’s hibernating,” she says.

Mick, Flash, and Ramon blink.

Mick’s the first to ask: “What?”

Dr. Snow gestures to Len, “This heat wave’s caused the ice in his system to start melting, disrupting homeostasis at an alarming rate. His body’s working overtime to fix the problem, requiring all the energy it can get. Aside from involuntary muscles, everything else is focused on repairing the ice and maintaining subzero temperatures, therefore sending Cold into a deep sleep. In short: he’s hibernating.”

Once all that sinks in, Ramon grins like a kid in a candy store. “Bro,” he says, “Captain Cold’s  _hibernating_.”

Mick stares at him until that stupid grin melts off his face.

“So what do we do?” he growls, “I ain’t leaving him like this.”

Snow clearly doesn’t want to help, but the doctor in her wins. “The best we can do is stick him in a subzero environment until this heat wave passes, hook him up to an IV in the meantime. If we give his body more water to freeze, it should help rebuild the ice at a faster rate.”

“And you’re gonna do that.” It’s not a question, nor does Mick intend it to be.

Flash, at least, doesn’t hesitate to sic his pretty eyes on his team and say, “Yeah. We will.”

Ramon sighs through his nose. “I would just like to say that I am  _not_ on board with helping Captain Cold.”

Flash puts a hand on his back, and oh, ain’t that interesting.

Mick’ll tell Lenny about that when he wakes up.

* * *

Ramon fashions a room used for experiments into that subzero environment. Mick doesn’t listen to how he does it; what he cares about is that it works.

Once Len’s all settled, Mick turns to go to the room on the other side of the glass window, where Flash’s team waits to activate the subzero. He hesitates.

Fuck it.

Mick turns on his heel and gives Len a hard, lingering kiss.

“This better work,” he mutters, “and you better get your ass outta this bed. Or I’m gonna forget your little rules about killing.”

There. Now he can go.

All three of them gape at him. Mick crosses his arms and snarls, “Well? You gonna start it up or what?”

* * *

It’s working. Mick finally takes a seat.

“We can monitor his progress—” Flash tries.

“I ain’t leaving him.”

“…I understand.” Sounds like he does, too.

If he wasn’t the enemy, Mick thinks he could tolerate having his goody two shoes around.

* * *

Len wakes up when the heat wave breaks, four days later. Mick, who’s been running on fumes, nearly curls into himself from sheer relief.

He presses the button for the microphone. “About time, Cold.”

Len sits up with a confused glare at Mick. “Where am I?” he asks, though Mick knows that he knows exactly where they are.

“You knocked yourself out. I took you to STAR Labs.”

“ _Mick_.”

And, no. They are not going to do this. “Don’t even try, Snowflake,” Mick snaps, “you could’ve died. There’re worse things than owing a superhero a favor.”

Len disconnects the IV. “Thought I was just running a little warm.”

“Yeah? Well you weren’t, Frosty. That ice you got inside you was  _melting_.”

Len stiffens as he processes that information. Mick’s scowl deepens.

“Yeah,  _oh_. Jackass.”

“I thought caring husbands were supposed to shower their spouses with love when they escape certain death.”

“I ain’t putting one foot in that room. It’s subzero in there.” Len gives a slow blink. “Bet you didn’t even notice the difference. Get outta there; Snow’s probably on her way since you took that thing out.”

They scribble an IOU on a stolen notepad and stick it on the glass.

“I’m starving,” Len announces once they’re in the clear.

So’s Mick. He’s barely eaten these last few days. No good at worrying. “Wanna go hold up a Big Belly Burger?”

Len slides their fingers together. “You read my mind.”

“By the way, there’s something you should know about the Flash…”

Len perks up. Yeah, it’s a good day.

**Author's Note:**

> LET THIS SHIP RISE
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
